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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27829267">to forgive is earned</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/larissel/pseuds/larissel'>larissel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: Legend of Korra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:28:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,161</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27829267</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/larissel/pseuds/larissel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Who would've thought forgiveness is actually this hard.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Baatar Jr./Kuvira (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>to forgive is earned</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The growing tension in the room was almost suffocating, palpable—an appetite for disaster that was close in being ready to serve at any given moment. It’s quite fortunate the others trust them enough to leave Baatar and Kuvira alone – replicating Doctor Sheng’s device – watching the scene being unfolded, otherwise they would surely drown under the stress they’re both extruding. After all, time isn’t on their side.</p>
<p>Not to mention things were personal between the two, <em>too personal</em> one would add with emphasis.</p>
<p>Every so often, Kuvira would shoot a glance at Baatar’s way whenever she handed him the tools he need as he tinkered with the machine he was building. The only time she would speak to him was giving him the details to Sheng’s invention, but for the most part, she stayed silent and out of his way.</p>
<p>Watching him work reminded her all of the times they shared together, even when those moments were short-lived thanks to the busy lives they lead during the height of the Earth Empire’s reign. Then there was the days when they were younger, naïve compare to the people they’ve became now; oh how she’d quietly listen to him talk nonstop. <em>‘Good times.’</em> She pressed her lips together, a sad look overcoming in her eyes. They’ve both already entered the point of no return when they stepped out of Zaofu for the first time, no longer could they return to the time when the sun was still set higher in the sky.</p>
<p>She shot him another look, feeling her heart aching and twisting in ways she never thought it’d be possible. There was so much she wanted to say to him, having a speech already formed in her mind of the things she wanted him to know, and yet, it feels as though words weren’t enough. Perhaps it’ll never be enough.</p>
<p>“Just say what you want to say.” Baatar broke the silence when he suddenly spoke up with a straightened form, back turned.</p>
<p>“Huh?” Kuvira looked up, hearing his voice breaking the still quietness. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>Baatar rolled his eyes before he shook his head as he went back to work, continuing on to work on the machine. “I know you too well and I know there’s something in your mind.” He said, picking up a screwdriver.</p>
<p>In all of her life, Kuvira never felt this nervous, not when she performed her own solo dance in front of an audience and not even when she made her first speech in front of hundreds of supporters. If one feels so sure of themselves, then why ever feel nervous? That’s what she often tells herself…until now. Even when Baatar isn’t facing her, she could already imagine the look on his face and everything she wanted to say to him just vanished from her mind, words stuck in her throat.</p>
<p>“Well? Are you going to say something or just keep standing there?” Baatar said sharply.</p>
<p>“I just…I just wanted to say,” Kuvira took the moment to pause, with nothing in her heart, she chose to speak from her heart, “I just wanted to apologize to you.”</p>
<p>Baatar stopped what h was doing, straightening up his back to listen on.</p>
<p>“I know it’s difficult seeing me again and being stuck with me all day long, working together. You have every right to be mad at me and I won’t fault you for that,” she continued as she rubbed her arm, looking down at the floor with a great shame in her eyes. “I broke your trust and I broke your heart, I hurt you—badly, and for that, I’m sorry.” She slowly looked up, blinking once…then twice…only to see him going back to work as if he heard nothing.</p>
<p>“Aren’t you going to say something?” The words spilled out from her mouth before she could think, cringing herself.</p>
<p>“Do you expect me to forgive you?” he responded back to her coldly.</p>
<p>“No! Of course I don’t, I—”</p>
<p>“What? What is it you expect from me, huh?” Baatar interrupted her as he slammed his tool down on the table with a force that was enough to cause several of the screws to roll off from the table and onto the floor. “You want me to pity you?”</p>
<p>“I don’t!” Kuvira exclaimed, shaking her head. “Don’t take words out from my—” Once more, she was cut off by the engineer when he shook his head, see him turning to finally face her.</p>
<p>“I don’t give a fuck how sorry you are,” he said, stalking towards her before he finally stopped when he stood no more than a feet apart from her. His face twisted from one of anger to anguish, the pain evident in his eyes, all those weeks he spent mostly locked away in his room, trying not to think about her is now all fruitless when it feels as though he moved back to the starting point. “You <em>hurt</em> me, you chose the Earth Empire over your own fiancé. Tell me <em>why?</em>”</p>
<p>Kuvira shook her head, knowing her answer won’t make him feel any better. “It was either you or the people. I couldn’t be selfish and chose my own happiness over our people.” She answered.</p>
<p>“Bullshit,” Baatar uttered out. “That’s total bullshit and you know it, you were being selfish when you decided to set your eyes on that damn city. The Earth Empire – our people – has no need for the United Republic. We could’ve been married by now if you chose me instead.” He shook his head.</p>
<p>“Instead, your deluded vision and pride blinded you.”</p>
<p>The metalbender kept quiet, biting down on her tongue as every word he spoke out against her stung. She could feel herself cracking under his harsh gaze, how it seems he was burning her alive on that very spot. She was afraid to look up, afraid to see the hatred in his eyes; the very look everyone she once loved would give her at the end. Once he’s done speaking, perhaps it’s best to leave him alone. He made it very clear how he feels and the last thing she wants is angering him further, she’s so sure he’s already sick of hearing her voice.</p>
<p>“My mother is right,” Baatar said. “I’m starting to think you did brainwash me.”</p>
<p>Kuvira’s head shot up, brows furrowed. “Don’t bring your mother up, this is just between us. She has nothing to do with this.” She couldn’t help it but to suddenly say.</p>
<p>“I was perfectly content enough to remain at home,” he said.</p>
<p>“Yeah right,” she scoffed, arms crossing together, “I remember you telling me how happy you were about ‘finally getting the fuck out of here’, quoting what you literally said three years ago.” She could clearly remember that very night when she spoke to him about leaving Zaofu to Ba Sing Se where the source of the turmoil has spread throughout the Earth Kingdom.</p>
<p>“Well, I only thought about it because you brought it up!” he exclaimed. It was half of the truth however, he never really thought about leaving the very place he was born and raised in, but he was tired of constantly being in his father’s shadow, having no name to himself. Perhaps the only place he could be recognized as his own is if he left his father’s side. “Besides, it’s what happened afterwards did me in.” Words he quickly came to regret to say, realizing how stupid it was of him to say upon seeing the rather frightening look she was giving.</p>
<p>“Don’t you dare say it was my vagina’s fault!” Kuvira shouted, taking a step closer to him so she can give him several hard pokes in the chest. “You were already convinced before we had sex!”</p>
<p>“Well, I regretted everything!” Baatar exclaimed, towering over her. He stood a few inches taller than her, looking down at her heated glare. “Not the sex I mean.” Once again, as he deflated, a poor choice of words on his part.</p>
<p>The metalbender rolled her eyes at him, wanting to loudly exclaim “men!” at the ceiling. “I’m starting to regret accepting your marriage proposal.” She said, deciding to hit him where it hurts.</p>
<p>“Aren’t you suppose to be apologizing to me?” he reminded her.</p>
<p>“Not with how you’re acting!”</p>
<p>“Why are you angry at me?! I’m the one who should be angry!”</p>
<p>“Well too bad, I’m angry right now with how much of a pervert you’re being!”</p>
<p>“This is a waste of my time!” Baatar said as he leaned down closer to her, making sure she knows how angry he is right now. “I knew I should’ve kept my mouth shut, otherwise we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”</p>
<p>“You could add this to your list of regrets then,” Kuvira said to him mockingly, face leaning up.</p>
<p>“I will add it to my list!” he promised.</p>
<p>“Fine by me,” she said, throwing her hands up.</p>
<p>“Good.”</p>
<p>“<em>Good.</em>”</p>
<p>xxx</p>
<p>Toph was trying to nurse a headache, having to hear both Korra and Suyin debate whether or not they should come up with a backup plan. Korra was so sure, so confident the original plane to use Sheng’s invention would work, that they would be able to bring Asami and the others’ minds back to themselves. Suyin, on the other hand, wants to come up with a Plan B in case Plan A fails. The older woman knew her youngest daughter was right, but she’s a fool pissing the Avatar off whose girlfriend’s mind isn’t her own in the other room.</p>
<p>All she wanted to do is to go back to her homely swamp, away from society, and soaking it up in her favorite mud bath, but here she is now, back in the city playing her least favorite thing: politics. She let the others handled it back in her youth.</p>
<p>“That’s it,” Toph groaned out, getting up from the couch, the others turning to look at the old woman as she stretched and crack her back. “I need a nap, don’t wake me up until dinner or if I’m not breathing. All this yapping is giving me a headache.”</p>
<p>“Mother, you have to help us. You’re going to have to push your feelings aside if you’re going to govern Gaoling,” Suyin sighed.</p>
<p>“At least give me this few moments of freedom I have left,” Toph said, waving her daughter and the others a goodbye, leaving the room and headed down the hall to one of the rooms that was kept for her.</p>
<p>As she went down the empty hallway, she suddenly paused and walked backwards, stopping in front of a room she just passed by. There was a suspicious look on her face before the corner of her lips twitched up into a smirk, pushing the door open and shook her head when she found it to be unlocked. “What are you two doing?!” She exclaimed, cackling wildly when she scared the two good.</p>
<p>“Nothing, we were doing nothing!” Baatar was the first to say before realizing who he was talking to, allowing himself to calm down. “Oh wait, it’s just my grandma.”</p>
<p>“I’m blind, not deaf, you ungrateful idiot!” Toph exclaimed, bending his glasses off from his face. “Don’t make me go to the Avatar and tell her you two are taking a break, now explain to me what you two were doing?”</p>
<p>“Nothing, we were doing nothing like Baatar had just said.” It was Kuvira’s turn to speak, her tone coming out calm and collected.</p>
<p>“Nothing my ass, I don’t need sight to see you have your hand down in my grandson’s pants.” Upon hearing those words, Baatar was covering his face, deeply embarrassed especially since Kuvira’s hand was indeed just in his pants. There were clothes were in a haphazard state, nearly undone with strands of locks sticking out from their once neatly made hair.</p>
<p>“Kill me now, please,” he mumbled.</p>
<p>“You’re lucky the others haven’t heard you two yet,” Toph commented.</p>
<p>“You’re not going to tell them, are you?” Kuvira asked, not wanting to deal with her any further.</p>
<p>“Fuck no, I don’t give a hoot if you two are doing it in front of me right now,” Toph said, letting out another round of cackles. “Besides, I seen worse when poor Tenzin broke his leg when he jumped out from Lin’s window, gave that little shit a good scare.” She lets out a sigh at the memory playing in her mind. Once she regained her composure, her hands were resting on her back as she turned her back towards the two and started to make her way out of the room.</p>
<p>“Do make sure to lock the door next time, it won’t be me walking in,” she said, throwing a look over at her shoulder to leave a few departing words that surely made Baatar and Kuvira’s faces turned red. “I’d like to see my bloodline continue.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A collab I did with my best friend:</p>
<p>  </p>
<p>Check her out on twitter<br/>https://twitter.com/saigneux1</p></blockquote></div></div>
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